Virtual communication systems (VCS) have been developed which allow a person to work in non-traditional work environments, such as at home or in a hotel room while still affording the worker the benefit of sophisticated communication services. Systems such as the ones described in co-pending patent application Ser. Nos. 09/318,015 and 09/370,766, which are incorporated by reference, describe systems which allow for a remote worker to utilize sophisticated communication services provided by the network without requiring the worker to have special communication equipment.
One requirement of these virtual communications systems is that the remote worker identify a telephone number at which the worker can send and receive telephone calls. This can cause problems when the remote worker is located at a facility which uses a Public Branch Exchange (PBX) which is not associated with the VCS service (hereinafter referred to as “guest PBX). This is because guest PBX facilities typically have a general telephone number which accesses the guest PBX and extensions which are associated with each line that is connected to the guest PBX. To reach a particular party at a line associated with the guest PBX, an incoming caller must dial the general number and then be transferred to the particular party's line by either a person such as a receptionist or operator or through an automated system such as an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Because a party using a guest PBX cannot be reached directly, a remote worker located at a guest PBX cannot effectively get access to all VCS services.
One solution to this problem is to equip the remote worker with a cellular telephone which can be used in conjunction with the VCS services to send and receive calls. However, this is not always an optimal solution, since cellular telephones have limited battery life and do not have secure connections. Therefore, a need exists for a technique for handling incoming calls directed to a virtual communication subscriber who is connected to a communication network via a guest Public Branch Exchange (PBX).